Silver & Blood

A fae falls in love with a human mage in this middling romantasy series launch from Mihalik (the Consortium Rebellion series). Riela is the last mage in her village and the only one who might be able to defeat the monster that’s been hunting the townsfolk. She heads into the Forsaken Forest to track down the beast and is brutally attacked. Just as she accepts that she’s about to die, she’s saved by Garrick Ryv’ner, “King Stoneguard, the Silver King, and ruler of the Silver Court,” who whisks her away to his court. There, Riela learns about the world beyond her village, the magical Etheri people, and the truth of her own identity. A slow-burning but still steamy romance sparks between her and Garrick as their relationship progresses from mistrust to desire. Unfortunately, the gripping action of the opening dissipates in the plot’s middle section as the stakes of Riela’s unraveling of her magical identity feel relatively low. A final reveal ramps things up once more, setting the stage for excitement to come. Readers will hope for more action in the next installment. Agent: Sarah Younger, Nancy Yost Literary. (Jan.)